La people accuse President

Accra, Dec. 3, GNA - The people of La on Saturday expressed misgivings about government's promise of a construction of a modern market complex saying that what has so far been erected were mere market sheds or stalls. They said, President John Agyekum Kufuor who himself cut the sod for the 5.5 billion-cedi market complex somewhere in August 2004, "did not envisaged eight wooden structure sheds, which is now being said to be 95 percent completed". Expressing these sentiments at a press conference at La, Nii Amasah Namoale, Member of Parliament for Dadekotopon expressed shock at the structures erected and said he did not believe the President's promise was what was being carried out.

"If the President promises, it is the duty of the Ministers, those in-charge of the what the President said to move heaven and earth and even arrest the wind to let that project materialise because his promise is order," he said. He said when he asked the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in Parliament on November 8, 2005 about the state of the market, the Minister told the House that 95 per cent of work has been completed.

Nii Namoale said the Minister added that, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly is presently processing certificates amounting to 93.0 million cedis to enable it to completes work before the end of the year. The Dedekotopon MP challenged the Minister's statement and said from his investigations only about 560 million cedis have been spent so far on the project and given the total cost of 5.5 billion cedis only about 10 percent of the work could be said to have been completed. Nii Namoale said the President's promise received good media coverage and added that, "A copy of the prototype design of the market complex when completed was even advertised near the over 50 age-old market built under the British colonial government and last rehabilitated by the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah regime. He said currently the prototype design has been removed and work has also been halted.

"The people of La expected a modern market complex, say a two-storey building as the advertised design show with car parking space but we are seeing a different thing," the MP said. Nii Namoale called on the President's involvement and said, "I know the voice of the President carries a lot of weight so let us see the construction of the modern market complex being lifted from the present status to the expected complex the people deserve." Madam Odoley Quame, La Market Queenmother said a lot of promises have been made by governments to rehabilitate the market, but little effort has been seen in that light. She called on the government and Accra Metro Departments under which consultancy the new market was being built to expedite work on the project to fulfill the promise made to them.